


Timestamps

by Thesis



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ?? ??? i didn't write porn what happened, F/M, Implied Relationships, M/M, Multi, Underage Drinking, friendship!!!!!!1 FRIENDSHIP!!!!!, kenma's social anxieties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 21:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3426758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thesis/pseuds/Thesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karasuno relationships through a sleepy-drunk Kenma's eyes. And his own relationships, too. Thinkin' about how important friendship is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timestamps

At three pm, Shouyou bounds across the train station and leaps into Kenma's arms. He barely has enough time to throw them open for him, and stumbles backwards from the impact, only staying upright thanks to Kuroo setting a hand on his lower back.

Kageyama is yelling at him in the distance, shortly followed by Sugawara and Sawamura. Behind them, Azumane is between Tanaka and Nishinoya, and finally Tsukishima and Yamaguchi lag behind, whispering to each other.

Kenma looks up to Kuroo for help, unsure of how to respond to being hugged out of the blue. His hands are still in the air, unsure of where they should be, and he feels awkward and tense.

He feels betrayed, when all Kuroo does is smirk down at him when Shouyou's hand casually holds his.

By four o'clock they reach the karaoke box. Kenma is vaguely comforted by the way Tanaka and Taketora leap into each others arms, Nishinoya jumping onto the pile a moment later. Maybe this is just how people are. Maybe other people touch each other more often than he thought. (Maybe it is just this group, and if so, maybe that's fine.)

They chatter among themselves, growing louder and louder in their excitement until it apparently peaks and the three of them all start openly sobbing.

Kenma looks around, wide-eyed, for anyone to explain this. No one does. But Yaku takes responsibility and ushers them all into the room they've rented out for the evening. They seem chipper by the time they're seated, all laughing as they practically sit on each other's thighs and hook their ankles together in the cramped space.

Kenma settles himself into a corner, and Shouyou slides in next to him. He is across the table from Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, two who don't particularly intimidate him. Unlike others. Kageyama, for example, who sits down on Shouyou's other side. He tries not to be uncomfortable, but his eyes seek out Kuroo for comfort.

He is disappointed when Kuroo doesn't spare him a glance, settling in between Inuoka and Yaku as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Kenma tries not to wince, and pretends not to notice Yaku's raised eyebrow at the seating arrangement. Subtlety was never Kuroo's strong point.

By five pm he is overwhelmed. Karaoke is far from his favorite thing, but in groups smaller than _fifteen_ , it's not so bad. He thinks if he could just cherry-pick three people to kick out of the room it would be a lot more bearable. When they aren't singing embarrassing songs, Taketora, Nishinoya, and Tanaka keep getting themselves all worked up over something.

Besides that, Kuroo is blatantly ignoring him. Kenma wonders if this is punishment for their fight this morning, and vindictively plays games on his phone. Kuroo would usually scold him and say to socialize just a little more, even if he didn't mean it. (After all, Kuroo was always quick to whisper him secrets and ostracize them from the rest of a group, as if no one else present really mattered at all.)

Kenma's eyes dart from his screen to Kuroo and back, a hundred times too many.

He is grateful when Shouyou distracts him, nudging their shoulders together and leaning far, far too close to see his screen. "Shimizu-senpai got a boyfriend," Shouyou tells him wonderingly.

That explains a lot of things. Like why Taketora and Tanaka had wanted to have a valentine's day outing with them. They are in mourning.

"Oh," Kenma says, because he does not think much of this in itself.

"It might just be a rumor," Yamaguchi pipes up, from across the table, looking desperate for a conversation to distract him from Inuoka's singing. "A girl in our class saw her kissing a guy in the halls last Saturday."

"No, it's not a rumor," Sugawara says, commanding attention in the quiet way he always does, and Kenma's eyes flicker over to him. His expression is certain, if not amused. "It's true."

Like a flip is switched, the second year trio are in despair all over again. Nishinoya throws himself into Azumane's chest to cry, the larger boy looking entirely unsure of what to do with the situation. Tanaka and Taketora wrap their arms around each other as they sob.

Kenma gives Shouyou a sidelong look, trying to gauge his reaction. He just looks thoughtful, like he is trying to put together a puzzle but knows he is missing pieces.

Tsukishima is the one to ask, sounding entirely disinterested in the answer, "how do you know? The only witness is in our class."

Sugawara's smile says that it would be funny if someone expected an answer out of him.

At six pm they seem to have given up on actual karaoke in favor of the discovery that this particular karaoke box is loose on the ID checks. They all crowd around the drink menus with juvenile interest and awe. Kenma feels less annoyed by all their overlapping conversations now that music is out of the picture. He can focus on their words more easily.

It's hard to be annoyed by much of anything when Shouyou keeps finding excuses to lean into him. Earlier in greeting, then to see his game. Now he is sharing the drink menu with him, his other hand blindly swatting away a complaining Kageyama from his personal space as he simultaneously invades Kenma's.

He feels the tickle of Shouyou's hair against his cheek as he bows his head to read a description. His cheeks feel warm.

Kuroo orders for him, and plays like he does not revel in Kenma's starry-eyed stare of grattitude. He simply says, when their drinks are being distributed, "you'll like this one, it's sweet."

Kenma is satiated for now, finding it suddenly easier to enjoy the warmth of Shouyou's arm against his own. Kageyama's irritation is suddenly funny to him, and Taketora and Tanaka trying to one-up each other's minimal drinking experience is ridiculous, stupid, and also hilarious. The crowd does not feel entirely like strangers.

By seven pm, Kenma feels drowsy. Apparently alcohol makes him tired. He slouches against Shouyou's shoulder, and the other boy's hand is warm on his inner thigh, an innocent gesture to show he doesn't mind being Kenma's pillow. His ears and cheeks feel hot, but he is passively enjoying everyone's company more comfortably than he has all night. Drinking is not so bad. It temporarily soothes his anxieties.

That said, he knows a lot more about the group than he has ever wanted to. Sugawara, Sawamura, Nishinoya, and Azumane are not virgins. Literally everyone in the room, save for himself and Kageyama, have at some point been caught masturbating by a parent or sibling. All of the third years have drank before, plus Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Along with a miriad of other 'fun facts.'

"Never have I ever," Sawamura says, staring long and hard at Tanaka with a grin already tugging at his lips, "had my heart broken."

There are two grief-stricken wails, as Taketora, Nishinoya, and Tanaka all hastily down their drinks. Tanaka and Taketora lean on each other for support, and Nishinoya places a hand over his chest, feigning betrayal, " _why?_ "

"It is valentines day," Sugawara reminds them, exchanging some weird never-had-my-heart-broken secret handshake with Azumane and Sawamura. This almost distracts Kenma from seeing Tsukishima take a drink, and Yamaguchi staring into his own, looking tremendously guilty.

Kageyama speaks up, suddenly, his eyes on Sugawara. "Wait. You're not virgins _and_ you've never had your hearts broken?"

Sugawara looks vaguely alarmed. Maybe just in the fact that Kageyama would manage to piece those things together at all.

Or maybe because he has something to hide. Kenma's lazy curiosity is distracted when Azumane rubs at his neck sheepishly. "Just because things don't work out doesn't mean your heart was broken."

Nishinoya reaches out to pat his leg, and nods his agreement. He looks like he knows the story. No one wants to ask for details from Azumane when he looks so sincere.

Kageyama's eyes stick on Sugawara for a long moment.

When they circle around to Kageyama's turn, he just shrugs. "Never been in love at all."

"Sad!" Shouyou immediately laughs, taking a drink. Kenma takes note of that, the moment seeming large in his head. Everyone drinks except for Kuroo and Yuuki this time.

Kenma's lips are loose from the drink, and he blinks at Kuroo, accidentally letting out an "oh," even with his mouth still on the edge of his own cup.

At the same moment, he realizes Shouyou is watching _him_ drink, with a wide-eyed intensity that startles him.

He sees Kuroo shrug out of the corner of his eye, and looks back to him to show he saw that, and Kuroo isn't getting away from his curiosity. He raises an eyebrow to ask, but Kuroo just waves a dismissive hand.

At eight o'clock, Sugawara and Sawamura step out for a breath of fresh air.

There are new drinks in the room and Kenma feels as sleepy as ever. He listens to the conversations slur and slow, full of an excitement that drags behind each word. It's as soothing as village background music. Taketora's rambunctious laughter and the way Tanaka slaps his knee when he joins in. Nishinoya whispering aside comments to Azumane as if he's guiding him into the rest of the conversations.

Kuroo chuckling under his breath, teasing Tsukishima about anything and everything. Yamaguchi flustering to defend him, and instead of telling him to shut up, Tsukishima smiling like it amuses him to see others fight his battles.

He only catches snippets. Kuroo with his hand resting on his palm, cheshire smirk wide. "Heart broken, huh?" Kuroo is more observant than he looks. Kenma's eyelids are heavy, weighed down with the familiar sound of his voice.

Tsukishima, after one moment of hesitation long enough to betray his confident tone, "Surprised I have feelings?"

Kuroo's reply feels off, too. Kenma realizes because he is too drunk to play games. "Nah, was just worried."

Tsukishima does not sound like he knows what to do with that. "Whatever."

He rests his head on Shouyou's shoulder and is certain he dozes off a couple of times. He hears distant sentences out of context. Yuuki asking, "those two still out?" and Kuroo volunteering to go check on them. Taketora and Tanaka theorizing who Shimizu's boyfriend could be, and Azumane telling them, like he is sure of it, "I don't think you're going to guess it."

He fades in and out of sleep, but doesn't rest well. Shouyou is tense. He can feel his shoulders rigid underneath him, and normally he would feel anxious and guilty, and would pull away immediately if he understood that he was being an annoyance.

But he is drunk and dazed and considering the idea that this may be his last chance to touch Shouyou so easily. Still, each time he shifts, Shouyou startles, whole body going brittle. He does not have the will to move away, but mumbles, "sorry."

Shouyou's hand rests on his thigh again, his shoulders finally relax down, and he enthuses, "it's fine! Rest on me all you want! Rest on me _every day!_ "

He hears Kageyama fussing himself into a frenzy, and Yaku snickering over Shouyou's hysteric over-reassurance. Kuroo would laugh at this too.

Kenma forces his eyes open. The lights have been dimmed. Judging by how bright-eyed everyone else in the room looks to be, probably just for him. Everyone is nice, Kenma thinks, nuzzling into Shouyou's shoulder. Then remembers why he'd looked.

He glances around the room, feeling increasingly distressed, and out of place after feeling so at peace seconds ago.

"Kuro?" He questions. He hears the awful hitch in his own voice. He is pathetic. He wonders if it is sympathy or annoyance in his eyes when Tsukishima looks up at him.

"He stepped out to check on our Captain."

"They're having a secret captain party," Yamaguchi says, sounding pleased with himself.

They don't... _Sound_ like they hate him.

Shouyou's voice is impressively soothing, for someone who's vocal range is usually between screeching and shouting. "I bet he'll be back soon."

"Mm," Kenma agrees. His nerves do not eat him up inside, not like they usually would. He can feel where it would happen but there is a strange clarity to his inebriation. He thinks _No, I don't want to get anxious about this right now._ And so, he doesn't. At least, not as much.

He does not know what time it is when he wakes up to Kuroo crouching down in front of him. Kuroo's eyes are soft and careful, his voice low like it gets when they are completely alone in his room. Kenma does not dislike the way Kuroo speaks to him elsewhere, but there is a difference. "Hey," Kuroo greets him. "You alright?"

Kenma nods, feeling instantly soothes by Kuroo's presence.

"Sleepy?" Kuroo asks. Kenma nods. "Drunk?" Kenma nods more vigorously, but then the motion makes him dizzy and he buries his face back into Shouyou's sleeve. Kuroo laughs, and ruffles his hair. His hand lingers, big and warm. "Want to leave?"

Kenma considers. Shouyou's hand is still on his thigh, burning up hot and just a little higher than it needs to be. He glances past Kuroo to see Tsukishima dozing in the same sorry state as himself, his head on Yamaguchi's lap and the freckled boy petting his hair idly while upholding a conversation with Nishinoya. Sugawara and Sawamura keep glancing at Kuroo like they are suspicious of him, but Azumane is light-heartedly cheering on Tanaka and Taketora's duet.

Shouyou shifts slightly to look down and meet his eyes. His expressions are so interestingly hard to read, Kenma sometimes think. They are so clear and vivid, but he doesn't know what they _mean_.

"Does everyone want me to leave?" Kenma asks. His voice is even, but quiet, because he does not want to guilt anyone into an answer. He is asking Kuroo.

But he is not quiet enough. There is a resounding group "nope," that even Tsukishima joins in on, before yawning and burying his face into Yamaguchi's stomach.

Kenma blinks. Kuroo's hand comes from his hair to cup his cheek. "We can go if you want," he says.

He shakes his head.

Kuroo laughs, and pulls back. "Good," he says, but then leans in close, to whisper in Kenma's ear, "caught Captain and Setter over there kissing outside."

Kenma arches an eyebrow. _Really?_

Kuroo waggles his in response. _Really._

Kenma sets his eyes on Sugawara and Sawamura, who seem to have ironically given up on their suspicion that Kuroo will tell.

At ten o'clock the party is winding down for sure. Kenma does not feel awake, really, but he has a brief moment of lucidity. He blinks up at Shouyou, bickering with Kageyama about who-cares-what, then surveys the rest of the room.

Tsukishima is still resting with his head on Yamaguchi's lap, facing upward. Yamaguchi's face is hidden in his messy hair as he leans forward to listen to whatever Tsukishima is whispering up to him, voice too quiet for Kenma to hear.

Tanaka has moved to sit next to Sugawara and Sawamura, and the three of them seem to be discussing the concept of polyamory, which is strange, but Kenma doesn't think too deeply about this. Nishinoya is chattering away, still full of energy, seated on Azumane's thigh as if that is the most natural seat to have taken in the room. Inuoka and Yuuki are playing rock-paper-scissors over _something_ , Kenma has no idea what, and Kuroo is pointing out something on the menu to Yaku.

There is no more shouting and no more singing. Their glasses are all empty.

Shouyou and Kageyama simultaneously huff away from each other, but Shouyou seems far from bothered by their argument. When he sees that Kenma is awake, he beams at him. "You're up," he says, like this is very exciting news, and then leans down and kisses him.

Kenma freezes.

Shouyou freezes too. Then whips himself back, nearly leaving Kenma to topple over with the loss of support. He sputters, incoherent nonsense peppered in with spontaneous apologies, and it gathers far, far too much attention on them. Kenma can feel too many heads turning.

His brain can't quite catch up. The evening replays in his mind, scrambled around as if it might help him find hints to a puzzle. His mind floods him with information, like highlighted keywords in a video game. Yamaguchi's guilty expression and Tsukishima's broken heart, Sugawara's confidence in a scene with only three people present. Kuroo checking how he was doing.  
  
Shouyou feeling up his thigh literally _all night._

"You can kiss me," Kenma murmurs. He wonders if he would care that others are staring if he hadn't been drinking. He's not sure. "All you want. Every day."

Shouyou's eyes sparkle, and his cheeks are redder than they've been all night from the alcohol. He makes some meaningless sound of excitement. His voice is overly fast, words strung together without spaces. "I want to every day but I can't because you live so far away but I'm still gonna as much as I can!"

Kageyama sounds exasperated, burying his face in his hand. "Idiot."

"I think it's sweet," Yaku says.

"Drinks all around!" Nishinoya cheers, still the most energetic of all of them.

For a party that's been nearing exhaustion, all the shouts faded into whispers, it recovers quickly. Everyone agrees to one more round of drinks, and Taketora is moved-to-song by Kenma's new romance. Kenma wishes he weren't, cringing through his tone-deaf serenade.

Shouyou is a flushed chatterbox of questions. After ignoring Kenma and letting him nap, it is like having the whole night's pent up energy released on him at once. Verbally. It's overwhelming, but Kenma does his best to keep up.

They play King's Cup, despite Kageyama's fierce objection before he even learns what the game entails. This time Kenma participates, and even Tsukishima pulls himself up to play.

Sugawara is the one cursed to drink the gross mix of their drinks at the end of the game, but all he has to do is let his expression fall for a split second before everyone is tripping over themselves to share in the horror.

The karaoke box closes at midnight, and they spill into the streets with stumbles to their steps. It's hard to see the stars through the light pollution, but the air still feels crisp to Kenma. It is refreshing, but does not really wake him up. Before he really understands what is happening, he realizes he is hoisted up, piggybacking on Kuroo.

Shouyou is looking up at him, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Text me," Kenma demands.

Shouyou agrees, "every day."

"More often than you do already," he clarifies, feeling sulky in knowing that this is near impossible.

Shouyou also falters, aware of the difficulty of his mission. Still, he agrees again, "I'll try!"

The hotel Karasuno booked is relatively near by. Sugawara works on calling a cab for them all while Sawamura deals with the progressively clumsier Tanaka. Azumane is carrying Nishinoya in his arms like a small child, the libero finally snoring loudly. Yaku hovers over Tsukishima as he helps keep Yamaguchi steady through his mantra of apologies.

Yuuki and Yaku wave goodbye before the cab comes, and Inuoka is the next to give in and head home. Taketora is the last, leaving minutes before the cab arrives for them.

Kuroo does not complain that Kenma is heavy, and does not complain about the cold night air. He just waits with the others until they're cramming into the cab. He checks with Tsukishima, "got him?" as Yamaguchi bumbles his way from hanging over the blond to climbing in the car.

Tsukishima nods. "It hit him all at once," he says. His cheeks are red from drink and wind, but he is clearly more sober than he had been in the karaoke room.

Yamaguchi is the opposite. He had been so composed all night, but now he plops down next to Shouyou and whines, "Tsukki! Get in, you're cold!"

Tsukishima looks baffled by being _told_ that he is too cold, but just gives Kuroo a look as if to say, _see?_ before joining the others in the cab.

All in all, it is just passing one in the morning when they watch the cab depart.

Kuroo begins the trek towards their homes. It's a long walk, but not worth the cab fare, he insists. Kenma wonders if he regrets this decision when he has to carry him the whole way. He buries his face into the back of Kuroo's neck and and cannot muster the energy to feel guilty for being heavy and not walking.

"I want to text Shouyou," Kenma announces.

Kuroo's head tilts a fraction towards him and hums. "Feel free."

He considers for a moment, then decides, "I can't hold you and my phone," and gives up on the venture for now.

They are silent for a long while. Kenma listens to footsteps and watches his breath come out in cloudy puffs. Kuroo's hands feel nice; cozy and firm all at once. His back is broad, spread across Kenma's field of vision.

"Yamaguchi broke Tsukishima's heart," Kenma tells him.

"Oh?" Kuroo asks, half amused and half interested. "What makes you say that?"

Kenma shrugs. Kuroo does not press, though Kenma knows he wants to. He isn't sure how to explain that his only answer is 'Yamaguchi's face' and maybe circumstantial evidence of how clingy Tsukishima had been at the height of his drinking.

He wonders what words he whispered up to Yamaguchi. He wonders why Yamaguchi would lean in so close to him. He thinks they would have kissed if they had been alone.

He thinks of Kuroo drinking, because he has not been in love yet, and tries to pin-point when he fell in love with Shouyou - because it certainly wasn't when they first met. Logically, statistically, it seems unlikely to him that two people would fall in love with each other at the same time.

It sounds impossible for two people to fall in love at all. The odds of loving someone, out of all the people you know, are so slim. Add on top of that, them loving you back. He thinks about the ways the world had to twist for the two of you to meet, about the coincidences and decisions that all had to line up.

He feels dizzy. He wonders what life would be like if Kuroo did not live beside him, to kick in his door and drag him outside. He is sure he would be miserable.

He tries changing the subject. "Sugawara is dating Sawamura and their manager, too."

" _And_ their manager?" Kuroo questions, wryly. "I found about that first part so far, but..."

"He was the one that got caught kissing her. Otherwise he couldn't know it wasn't just a rumor."

"Unless she told him," Kuroo points out.

Kenma blinks. He hadn't thought of that. He wonders if friends usually discuss things like that. He has never mentioned his crush on Shouyou to Kuroo, before. He had just sort of figured he alerady knew and left it at that. "Maybe," he concedes.

Kuroo shrugs, the movement bouncing Kenma in place. He lets out a low whine, too sleepy for this kind of handling, but Kuroo does not apologizes, and Kenma suspects him of rolling his eyes.

He blinks rapidly under the street lights.

"Shouyou likes me," he says, this time as if he is seeking confirmation.

Kuroo jostles him to get a better grip, and snorts, "yeah he does."

"You're my best friend."

"Yeah," Kuroo says, his ears suspiciously red at the tips, "I know."

Kenma presses his face into the back of Kuroo's neck again, breathing in his warmth and deoderant and the lingering scent of his drinks.

He composes text messages in his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> frenz


End file.
